Deputy Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

First I had a chat with the recruiter on LinkedIn, then a quick video call. After that, they emailed me a take-home coding test that took about two hours. A week after I sent it back, the recruiter let me know they wanted me to interview with a senior dev and an engineering manager. A few days later, I had another interview with more senior folks, including the head of customer experience. The final interview was with the EMEA general manager and the senior vice president of customer success. Honestly, most interviewers were great, but the head of customer experience was really difficult – seemed like they didn't want to be there, maybe because it was after work hours. They mostly just sat on their laptop, not paying attention, and even made me repeat an answer. In the last interview, the SVP didn't show up, and the other person just started the interview without any heads-up, which felt unprofessional. Like others mentioned, there was a lot of repeating questions across all rounds.

So the interview process went like this: First, a quick 15min chat with the recruiter. Then, a 30min chat with a team lead. After that, there was a take-home challenge. They said it would be quick but it actually took me a few hours if I took it seriously. Next, a ~1.25hr technical/system design interview. Following that, a 30min chat with the VP of Engineering/SVP of Engineering/Product lead. Then, a 30min chat with the CEO/CTO. Finally, a background check and talking to 3 references. Honestly, I think the whole process is way too long and takes up a lot of time for everyone involved. You end up answering the same things over and over, it could be shorter. I kept asking the recruiter what else was left and never got a straight answer. When I thought I was done, they'd say we 'just had to get past the next stage'. I feel like Deputy could be more upfront about how long the process is from the start. But other than that, the interviews weren't super hard, and the recruiter was really helpful and kept in touch. I liked the people at Deputy, it seemed like a good place to work and I think I'd get along with the team.

It was a long process with 6 interviews and 8 people, plus a coding challenge. The last interview felt like an afterthought. They really care about culture fit and technical skills. Most people I met seemed to like the company and how it runs. The CEO interview was weird, asking things like 'What would people say about you on your retirement day?'. They rejected me for a reason they probably could have figured out way earlier. My advice for applicants is to get ready for a long haul with a lot of repeating yourself about your experience and the job. Have some good questions prepared. For the company, the process takes too much unpaid time from candidates and they should decide faster, it's not a good use of the CEO's time to interview people before an offer.